Charter Oak, 1839-07

              CHARTER OAK.
V O L . II. F R E E P R I N C I P L E S — F R E E M E N —
July,] PUBLISHED BY THE CONNECTICUT
F R E E S P E E C H - A N D A F R E E P R E S S . N O . 3.
ANTI-SLAVERY SOCIETY, HARTFORD. [1839.
THE CHARTER OAK is published on the tiiird
Wednesday of cach inontii, at No. 7, Asylum St.,
Hartford, at the following prices, to be paid in all
cases in advance:
1 copy, . . . 50 ccntB per annum.
SOopies, . . . 5 dollars"
50 copies, . - . 1 0 dollars" "
100 copieH, . . . 17 dollars" "
To single subscribers, who take their papes at
the Oftice, twenty-five cents.
All orders and communications for the OAK,
should be addressed to S . S . COWLES, Hartford.
To nil who plunder from th' immortal mind
Its bright and glorious crown !
Woe to the Priesthood! woe
To th')se whose hire is with the price of blood-
Pervcrfing, darkening, changing as they go,
The searching' truths of God !
Their glory and their might
Shall perish ; and their very name? shall be
Vile IK fore all the people, in the light
O f A WORLD'S LIBERTY.
I tine chain® the dark prison-house of ignorance,
land tlie i .-s of light which beam forth and (lash
from God'.! blessed word—the heaven-lent geogra-
I phy—were itiiurceptcd by the dark imponetralile
i veil of slnviTv. v/oiild not the very heavciis echo
i wiiii your ighs and groans ! Were your backs
lacrratcd •-iih stripes, your limbs encased in the
sralling clir is of slavery, your beloved companions,
the sliiirerH cf your joys and sorrows, insulted, tor.
turnd, am! nlmo^^t crucified in your presence, and
! fhould a t(.-ir gush from its fountain, or a sigh cs.
i ciipe from 'Ii.! troubled deep within, the lacerating
The re.publication of the subjoined poem by
^ Whittier was suggested upon being informed that
one of " the clergy" of this city, of the Congrega-tional
denomination, had lent his "sanction to the
proceedings" of the " clerical oppressors" of the
South, by inviting one of their number to officiate
at the Lord's table in one of our churches on the
7th inst. The circumstances were briefly these:—
The pastor of the church being absent, had engaged
a minister residing hero and destitute of a charge to
supply his place on the day above mentioned. After
the usual morning exercises, he left the pulpit and
invited the slaveholder from the congregation to the
table. This he accepted, and performed the whole
service.
How long shall these things be ? How long shall
northern ministers, to show that they do not consider
slavcholding sinful, extend the hand of fellowship
to him who has " kept back by fraud the hire of the
laborers," and invite him to our pulpits, our com-munion
tables ? How long shall those who love
our Lord Jesus Christ in smcerity, and their neigh-bor
03 themselves, and who look upon the suffering
bondman as entided to the same blessings which
ihey erijoy, have their feelings disregarded andj
Resoltcd, That plavery is an individual and na.
tional sin, and that upon the people of the United
States, individually and rationally, devolves the
duty of its removal.
liesolvr.d, That American slavery is an outrage
upon the laws of God, and the rights of man, and
that a full and plain discussion of its character in
the free states, is the sure, and only sure means,
peaceably to abolish the vile system in our country.
The Rev. C. C. Williams, although unwilling to
stylo himself technically an abolitionist, entertain.
Oh! speed tile moment on " I cape trom'li.; witliin, ed the audience for some length of time with ii
Wb-n Wron" shall cease and Libertv and Love ' "" impious outrngn upon very clear and unreserved expression of his views
Anu Truth,Vnd "R'ight, throurrhout the earth i , ^ : ' were your loTcly iiiiiints— respecting slavery, his great abhorrence of it, &c.,
j^PjO^yj, ° I sweet on w. 'ns of innoccncc—the joy and pride .—said that instead of the efforts of the abolitionists
As in their home above. j of their tl ; d parents, torn from your embraces,'being unconstitutional, slavery was a most glaring
- !_ 'and hiirri away among strangers, yea, among | violation of the constitution of our country, that he
For the Charter Oak. ! slavelioldt.' and dealers, never more to enjoy the ifelt no hesitation in declaring that the spirit and
TlnoTHER CowLEs,—The following extract from: ciresses of their only earthly friends and letter of that constitution,- guaranteeing as it does,
a Tlnnksgiving Sermon by Rev. ErastusDickin- were such your sad lot, what
son, Pastor of the Church in Chaplin, I wish you to wl-harrowing appeals and entreaties
give a place in the next Charter Oak for an en-1 heavens!! Would you not raise
to every person security in the possession of life,
liberty and property, was hourly violated by the
existence of slavery,—that that sacred instrument,
together with the immortal declaration upon which
it was based, breathed nothing but the pure air of
_ . . . . liberty and equal rights; and that, carried out in
bowsdthe kneeto the Baal of Slavery. " H. | outraged i..an? What would you wish, yea, ex. I its literal sense, it would subject slavery to instant
sample for his brethren to go and do likewise ' " " imploriii.,' hand to the Christian north, and cry
ob(yGod, and to cheer the friends of the slave, 1 earth-shaking tones, "Am I not a man and
wli.jn they see that there are prophets who have not' l^rotlier ?'. Have you no sympathy for crushed.
The great and abominable sin of SZacm/has! professed friends at the North ? | and perpetual death. Mr. Williams added that he
begun to attract the attention, and to call forth' What yould ymi reasonably require of those who | viewed it as a duty incumbent on political men to
ti'.! eflbrts of some of the wise and o-oorf, the Profess to bo actuated and animated by the spirit ofi vote and legislate with a prominent reference to the
\u.imane and philanthropic people of our land. Christ? C h then, brethren, "Remember them|abolition of slavery, and that the church should
That an evil of such tremendous magnitude, at i^>onds,' as bound with them." Oh, that; place it upon the same platform, side by side, with
once so disgraceful and so dangerous, should h a v e , s w e e . passage might be embalmed in our their missionary operations, and pray and act for its
been tolerated in this country from its earliest settle.! 'hearts, and its spirit breathed forth in all our acts, j speedy removal.
ment, is truly wonderful. In 1 6 2 0 , J a m e s t o w n , i ^'orth once fathom and comply with the | The meeting was continued with lively interest
Va. received into its bosom the first carrro of A f r i ! ! C ' j n i m a n d , and remember the slaves at i until near 7 o'clock, when, upon adjournment, the
can slaves that were landed on our shores. Now i ''""one (jf grace, at the ballot-box, and last, yet j audience dispersed, rejoicing that the 4th of July
A r t / / i n the Union hold men in bondage.i !"cmember our empty treasury as fre-(had been thus hallowed by becoming exercises.
cBcry six of our fellow citizens is held as The niiently duty requires, and soon the pillars of j S.
their hearts wounded, (as was the case in the in-1 property of liis fellow man. At the CAPITAL of o u r , s l a v e r y itself
Btance referred to,) by being constrained to receive | republic, men are licensed according to NATIO-VAL ' ^^'ouid flap :ts black, hideous wings and flit back to
ihe emblems of a Saviour's dying love from the LAW, by paying ,$400 each, to traffic in m e n , ' w h e n c e it originated,
hands of a man who looks upon a portion of God's women, and children ! And while our Declara-!
intelligent creatures, born in His image, as meretion of Independence proclaims in our ear that all i
things, chattels, created for the special purpose of i men are born free and equal, &c., we are robbing j
eteouting the will of another who styles himselfhisi ^wo and a half millions of the dearest right God i
master; from one who is lending the whole weight ever gave to man,—a right to himself. The sys-i
of his influence to maintain a system, fraught with tem of slavery, therefore, not only tramples upon' , - . -
the most unmitigated evils to man, and dishonor to | and crushes the rights of men, but is also a direct I ° doings of the last meeting of the , , • , ^ .
God ; from a man thus characterized by the tf.e.ii and most impious invasion of the rights of Almi-htvl Winsted ^-i-Sltivery Society. The meeting was Img extracts were read, showmg what our fathers
a^. * ; a., in ir,.,umerau:c insiaaces, :'t! -i tU r.I.th.^Ji. t .h i.-: j i b - ' - ' i . b ' . f .. cen-nvy ; wtiidi
- " I . . . - 1 .1 1- ! the audience listened to an mteresting oddress from
Mr. Hudson, an Agent of the State Society, who
. r w tilt c;»11 VI ff icui lui' — ^ was providenti1a lly prie*s. ent. The number inj ' attend.
magnitude. As philanthropists, we owe it to our' encourage the abolitionists to persevere, is the fact; ance was not large, but we trust some good impre^
brethren in bondage, to use all lawful means for! a minority, they have greatly the ad- i fions were made. A few copies of " Slavery as it
tthrye irto l iebnedraetaivoonr : toa s wpiapter ioatws,a yw es oo wfoeu li t ato sotauirn cforuonm-1' vparnatya"g.e oAvenrd thise inro to tphpiso nterunltys tah rmoautgthe r tfhoer preojwoiecri nogf jj iasd'o wpteerde :—tak en. The following w• a.s • un.ua nimtt ou• slyj
its character ; and, as Christians, we owe it to our i and for confidence of success, that while we can I Resolved, That slavery as it exists m the United
Yours for the oppressed,
MIDDLET^VX.
For the Charter Oak. '
Winsted, June 29, 1839.
DEAR SIR,—Permit me, through your paper, to
For the Charter Oak.
Tolland County Society.
Tolland, July 10, 1839.
The Tolland County Anti. Slavery Society held a
meeting on the 4th inst., at the Congregational
Meeting-house in Tolland. The following towns
were represented, Mansfield, Stafford, Somers,Ver.
non, North Coventry. Some remarks were made
by the President of the Society, and some interest.
who has a right to his liberty, is to be every day
guilty of robbing him of his liberty, or of man steal.
lOg."—Jonathan Edwards.
" Men stealers I The worst of all thieves, in
comparison of whom highway robbers and house
breakers are innocent; and men buyers are exactly
on a level with men stealers.^''—John Wesley,
Clerical Oppressors.
In tlie Report of the celebrated pro-slavery meetini; in
Chailbstun, ti. C., on the 4th of the Uth month, 1H:<5, pub-
God, to do what we can to have'the gospel of his i supplicate the blessing of God upon our eflbrts, op-1 States is a great and Heayen.daring sin, an institu-
Son freely published to t h e s e i g n o r a n t a n d d e g r a d e d ! posers dare not fall on their knees to pray for the | tion prejudicial to the civil and religious mterests of
sons of oppression. VdonVt°sirnTu7tord°voc"ateicontinuance of slavery a single hour? Amongiour country, and that every Christian and philan.
the use of fl„y unlawful means to compass the end,! other interesting facts stated by Mr. R., in refer- thropist is bound to rebuke the sm and u^se aU the
. . . , „ . . . . however desirable • nor would I endorse anu men ! ence to the futility of all means used to stop the, means in his power (consistent with the Gospel) to
Jir&'^Co'^Vic^^^^^^^^^^^^^ dose of the meet
G^ -V of all denominations attended •i(n(. Ua> VbVoUdYy^, UWB^N-^DFCI/TN.^UO InIIo^It, AaUuTtLhJoUIrLi^zLeJUd UbVy LtLhICe UgUoOsUpCeIlU oLf CVLhIRriIsStU. S^-^oYoYnJUeJJr- "«• lJ^eLt r' e^c^ ^e nt enactment of Ohio,» in reference to g° iving ! A coUection w. as Mt akI eAn at the close of the meet-
THEIR iANCTtoN TO THB pRocKitDiNOi, Biid adding by, mv ri<^ht hand foriret her cunnintr nnrl mv tonmiP aid to fugitive slaves, has a tendency to increase a mg amounting to lU.
theirpre^eucetotheinipresslvecharacerofthescene- sympath^br the slave, and that more can now S. BARROWS,
JJrcSsTT GGoodd !!——aannrdl ttbhpessoe narrne ttbhoevy i ..,:ii _ J J i , . .i :r pflcnno th;in we rp nhin to do before. R T ~ -T":
Who minister at Thine altar, God of Right !
Men who their hands with prayer and blessing lay
On Israel's Ark of light!
What! preach and kidnap men 7
Give thanks—and rob Thy own afflicted poor ?
Talk of Thy glorious liberty, and then
Bolt hard the captive's door ?
What! servants of Thy own
]Merciful Son, who came to seek and save
The homeless and the outcast,—fettering dowa
The task'd and plunder'd slave !
Pilate and Herod, friends!
Chief priests and rulers, as of old, combine !
Just God and holy! is that church which lends
Strength to the spoiler. Thine ?
Paid hypocrites, who turn
Judgment aside, and rob the Holy Book
Of liiose high words of truth which search and burn
In warning and rebuke!
Feed fut, ye locusts, feed !
And, ill yourtassel'd pulpits, thank the Lord
That, from the toiling bondman's utter need,
Ye pile your own full board.
How long, O Lord ! how long
Shall such a Priesthood barter truth away,
And, in Thy name, for robbery and wrong
At Thy own altars pray ?
Is not Thy hand stretch'd forth
Visibly in the heavens, to awe and smite T
Shall not the living God of all the earth,
And heaven above, do right ?
Woe, then, to all who grind
TbEif bretliren of a Common Father down!
something ought, and will add, may be done, if
every northern man will do his duty, not only to re-escape
than were able to do before.
The number of abohtionists in this place is in.
move the dark and deep stains from the escutcheon I creasing. We have a well organized Society, and
of our nation's glory, but for the relief of suflfering, I hold meetings regularly for prayer and conference,
bleeding humanity. And I thank God that a spirit! The following persons were appointed ofli^rs of
Cor. See.
For the Charter Oak.
Windkam County Society*
Brooklyn, July 12, 1839.
DEAR BROTHER COWLES,—I seize a leisure mo.
has been awakened—caU it fanaticism or whatI'he Society for the ensuing year:—Rev. Daniel.ment to give you a brief account of our County
yhoaus bpeleena sea,w—awkhenicehd ,w ill nev" er quail before scorn Alvin Gilbert, Jehiel Coe, Hce | meeting on the 4th inst. The Society assembled
and ridicule, contempt and obloquy ; which will
never blench before drunken mobs, and lawless vio-lence
; and which will never be hushed until the
last chain is broken from the limb of the slave, and
the year of Jubilee shall be proclaimed to every son
and daughter of oppression.
" I do not pretend to predict when, or by what
particular means this is to be accomplished ; but I
do believe that God has determined, ere long, to
rip up the whole system of slavery from its rotten
foundation, and show to an astonished world, its
hideous enormities ; and let it be the fervent pray-er
of every friend of humanity and religion, that
God will hasten it in his time."
Presidents; Henry E. Rockwell, Secretary; Eras,
tus Woodford, Treasurer; Joseph W. Hurlbut,
Oliver Looinis, Nelson Wilson, Hermon Munson,
Jonathan Coe, Executive Committee.
in the Town Hall in Hampton, at 10 o'clock, A.
M.—the President, George Sharpe, Esq., of Ab.
ington, in the chair. The meeting was not large,
only eight of the fourteen towns in the county rep.
At the above mentioned meeting, it was voted resented. Prayer was oflfered by Rev. George S.
that the names of the officers of said Society should i White, of Canterbury. The Declaration of Sen.
be forwarded to you for pubUcation, if you see fit.
H . £ . ROCKWELL, Sec.
For the Charter Oak.
Rleetinv at Waterford.
An Anti-Slavery meeting was held on the 4th of
July in the 2d Baptist meeting house in Waterford,
at 3 o'clock, P. M., a temperance meeting hav.
ing been holden in the morning at the same place.
It is truly cheering to see the sober and reflecting
timents put forth by the National Anti.Slavery
Convention assembled in Philadelphia in Decem.
ber, 1833, was then read, when the following reso.
lutions, among others, after considerable discussion,
were unanimously adopted.
Resolved, That this Society jjgcommends to
Town Societies, to be diligent in maintaining their
meetings, raising funds, sustaining the Charter Oak
and other Anti-Slavery papers; and that they have
Fur the Charter Oak. ^ „ - committees, to q-u estio. n, in . writing, candidates who
" BemeinberthLm that arc in bonds, a« bound with them." \ portion of community turn aside from the noisy | m a y be up for office in their t o w n s ; that they send
How vast and immense the responsibility impos.
ed upon us, as the sons of the Pilgrims, in that sim.
pie injunction I How few of those who boast of
their patriotism and philanthropy, aye, even of
those who profess to be imbued with the spirit of
Christ, have deeply pondered and fathomed the
momentous duty inculcated there! How many
abolitionists are there in the " land of steady habits"
who fully understand and faithfully adhere to the
above precept I or, in other words, who of us,
abolitionists, (that name endeared to us by so many
thrilling and soul-refreshing incidents,) has remem.
bered those in bonds, as bound with them?
Brethren, were your minds fettered with adaraan-and
vain frivolities which too often characterise the
celebration of our national Jubilee, to the impor.
tant object of inquiring what shall be done to pre.
serve, difluse, and transmit the blessings of hberty
for which, as a people. We have so much reason to
be grateful.
Rev. A. Gates, the much respected pastor of
the church, being called to the chair, the meeting
was opened with prayer by the Rev. C. C. Wil-hams,
pastur of the Baptist church in New Lon-don,
after which the meeting was addressed by the
Rev. Reuben Palmer, of Montville, and several
other gentlemen, and the following resolutions
were unanimously passed.
a strong delegation to the annual meeting of the
County Society, which time of meeting is now al.
tered, by an amendment of the constitution, to tlie
third Tuesday in March, so as to precede the Spring
elections.
Resolved, That it is the privilege of Abolition,
ists, to know before casting their votes for any man
as a candidate for office, and it is the duty of such
candidates to make known distinctly in writing,
their views on all questions usually proposed to can.
didates, and in case of a refusal, or failure to make
known their sentiments fully, on all such questions,
they shall be deemed adverse to our views, and
unworthy of our votes,